Milton Volunteers Complete Service Trip to the Dominican Republic

Jennifer Tegan of Milton, Director of Marketing and Communications at Boston College High and Connor Noonan of Milton, a junior at BC High School, and 10 BC High fellow classmen went on a service trip to the Dominicn Republic during their spring vacation. Accompanied by two other BC High adult leaders, Jeff Devlin, Arrupe Guidance Counselor and Chris Rakovec Spanish teacher and Coordinator of the Hyde Center for Global Education, Jen and Connor traveled to the Dominican Republic to serve as volunteers with the Institute for Latin American Concerns (ILAC).  

They spent their vacation working on various service projects and learning about the Dominican culture. The first full day in the DR they visited and stayed at homes in the remote village of Arroyo Del Toro, located in the mountains to the west of Santiago, where they helped construct outhouses and pour concrete floors in the farming community. "The home stay,” said one of the boys, “is the highlight of the trip, giving both the students and community a chance to learn each other’s cultures.”

Before leaving Arroyo Del Toro the BC High group were able to visit the local school where the little children were excited to show off their school work and were thrilled to receive the baseball bats, jump ropes and clothing brought from BC High.

They spent the rest of the week visiting and playing with the children in the government run orphanage, where they encountered children and young adults with physical and mental disabilities in need of love and companionship.  The group also visited the Haitian-Dominican border and spent time with the elderly in a home for seniors in Santiago.

All agreed that the Dominican Republic service immersion trip provided an unforgettable experience of a lifetime. A spring vacation well spent.

Boston College High School is a Jesuit, Catholic, college-preparatory school for young men in grades 7 to 12. Founded in 1863, the school enrolls approximately 1,600 students from more than 140 communities in eastern Massachusetts. For more

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